Players are starting to find new homes around Major League Baseball, like Tim Hudson with the San Francisco Giants and Josh Johnson with the San Diego Padres. Most of the winter business, like most of the winter, remains ahead.

Here's a look at some of the latest rumors and just what to make of them:

ROBINSON CANO: There’s nothing quite like a public negotiation in New York, and that is what is happening with the top free agent on the market right now.

Yankees president Randy Levine told the New York Daily News, “We’re not waiting around. If guys start to come off the board we’re going to sign them, which will affect the amount of money we have left for other players including (Cano).”

This is true, but what will really affect the amount of money the Yankees have in their budget, and possibly how true they stay to their goal of staying under $189 million in payroll to avoid the luxury tax, is the Alex Rodriguez arbitration hearing, where Levine testified on Tuesday. How much of A-Rod’s salary comes off the payroll as a result of a suspension is a number the Yankees probably would like to wait around to learn.

And it’s safe to say that the Yankees aren’t exactly quaking with fear that Cano is going to bolt across town, even after his agents met with the Mets for dinner. According to the New York Post, “the presentation included pamphlets, books and PowerPoint,” which is probably the least fun Jay-Z show ever.

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson has publicly talked about not wanting to give out a $100 million contract, let alone a deal twice or thrice that value, and it wasn’t like the Mets called the meeting with Cano’s agents – it was the other way around, a rather clear attempt to show the Yankees that they mean business. The Mets would make sense as a destination for Cano if they wanted to spend the money, but that’s something of a Lloyd Christmas scenario right now.

The problem for Cano is a fairly basic offshoot of supply and demand. While players like Cano are in short supply, demand for a player asking to be paid more than a quarter of a billion dollars could hardly be lower, because there is such a limited group of teams that can even entertain the notion, and an even more limited subgroup of teams for whom such an expenditure would make sense.

Here are the teams that paid $100 million to their entire rosters in 2013, and their current starting second basemen …

Obviously, some of these incumbents could be bumped for Cano, but the Cubs, for instance, aren’t at the point in their rebuild where they are in this market. The teams who would make sense as Cano suitors are the Yankees, the Tigers, and because they’re seemingly the only team left spending without a limit, the Dodgers – except that there have been very public declarations from Los Angeles about not signing Cano, and Guerrero is talking like someone who expects to play second base at Dodger Stadium this season.

The Detroit Tigers appeared to be a possibility before news broke Wednesday that they had agreed to trade first baseman Prince Fielder to the Texas Rangers for second baseman Ian Kinsler.

So the Yankees can play hardball with Cano, because they know that they are alone in the market for his services. Cano can keep asking for amounts of money he knows he won’t get because he remains the big-ticket free agent most likely to sign in the Bronx. The stalemate will continue until either Cano gets another serious suitor or the Yankees’ actual budget comes into focus and money starts coming out of that budget.

COREY HART: In a horse’s-mouth moment for rumors, Hart told MLB Network Radio on Tuesday that his agent has been contacted by the Brewers, Rays, Red Sox, and Rockies.

Hart, who had an .857 OPS with 87 home runs from 2010-12, but sat out all of this year following knee surgery, said that his preference is to remain with Milwaukee, and he previously has indicated a willingness to take a discounted contract to stay with the Brewers. That is consistent with Tuesday’s proclamation that Hart values the right fit for his family first and foremost. The Brewers mostly employed Juan Francisco at first base last year, so if that is going to be Hart’s position going forward, Milwaukee remains a good place for him to play.

Corey Hart (AP Photo)

As far as the other teams who have expressed interest in Hart, the Red Sox and Rockies both have been linked to Mike Napoli, and Hart would make sense as a fallback option – a right-handed hitter with power for whom first base is not his natural position. Napoli, after all, had mostly been a catcher before going to Boston in 2013.

The Rockies have spring training in Arizona, while the Red Sox train in Florida, and obviously Denver is much closer to Arizona than Milwaukee or Boston, so as far as a family planning option, the Rockies should offer some intrigue. The Rays might be a bit of a wild card in that they have spring training in Port Charlotte, Fla., and play their home games in St. Petersburg, a little more than an hour’s drive away. A player who lived between the two could spend spring training and the season in the same place – but Hart and his family would have to be willing to move from Arizona to Florida to make that happen. For the mix of two extra months together as a family and the chance to win, it might be worthwhile.

The Rays’ reasons for being interested in Hart would be clear enough. James Loney is a free agent and unlikely to return, and Hart’s return from injury means that he is available for less guaranteed money than he would be if he had stayed healthy through 2013. He’ll still cost plenty more than Loney did last year, coming in on a one-year, $2 million contract after a dismal season split between the Dodgers and Red Sox.

WHITE SOX: Technically a free agent, Paul Konerko is deciding between another season with the Chicago White Sox and retirement, and according to general manager Rick Hahn, that decision should be made before the winter meetings.

This isn’t really groundbreaking, but what is interesting is Hahn saying, “We have a plan obviously if he’s back and we have a plan if he’s not back. We haven’t missed on any opportunities to fill that role if he doesn’t fill it himself.”

Paul Konerko, Adam Dunn (AP Photo)

With Adam Dunn and Cuban signee Jose Abreu on board, the obvious question is what the role is that Konerko either will or will not fill. The follow-up question is, if Konerko does fill that role, does it mean the White Sox would look to trade Dunn, who has one year and $15 million left on his contract?

Dunn’s flaws are obvious – in the past two seasons, he has batted .211 and struck out 411 times – but he still has been productive, with an OPS+ of 108 and 75 home runs – fourth in the majors over that stretch behind Miguel Cabrera (88), Chris Davis (86), and Edwin Encarnacion (78).

In a world where the Tigers are willing to listen to trade offers for Fielder, one year of Dunn at $15 million might be a more palatable option to some teams than seven years of the Detroit slugger at $24 million per.